East Africa Highlights

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Serengeti, Masai Mara, Ngorongoro: highlights don't get much more famous than this.

Discover the best of East Africa on this 10-day journey beginning in Nairobi, Kenya. Travel to some of Africa's most famous areas including the Masai Mara National Reserve, Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater, where you'll take multiple game drives in search of the Big Five animals and more. Take in the enormity of Africa's largest lake and switch Africa's animals for people as you spend time with the Maasai people and learn about both their ancient traditions and more modern way of life from an elder.

Why you'll love this trip

Visit a street market and haggle alongside locals for pigs and chickens before delivering these sustainable food sources to villages on the outskirts of Nairobi. Sit down in a local’s home afterwards for tea and coffee and learn about life in Kenya.

Meet Maasai warriors and experience Kenya's tribal life at an afternoon village visit in Loita Hills.

Venture into the incredible Masai Mara National Reserve for a full-day game drive in 4WDs.

Explore the Serengeti National Park in depth, with two early morning and two late afternoon game drives through this spectacular wildlife arena.

Take a mind-blowing safari across the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater in an open-roof 4WD for a chance to see the endangered black rhinoceros.

Is this trip right for you?

Camping in the Serengeti National Park with no barriers between you and the animals is amazing, but it's important to heed the safety advice of your leader. You'll be briefed on arrival.

Our purpose-built overland vehicles allow for excellent game viewing, equipped with large sliding windows. They have no air-conditioning, however, so they can get dusty and hot at times.

The going can be slow over the long distances and often bumpy roads. A little bit of patience will go a long way towards your enjoyment of this beautiful land!

As the early bird catches the worm, the early camper sights the animals. There will be many early starts either to make use of the better safari time or to beat the morning traffic on long travel days.

Gallery

Itinerary

Welcome to Nairobi, the world's only major city containing a game reserve. You'll meet your group at 6 pm but if you arrive early, perhaps jump on one of the Nairobi Urban Adventures (urbanadventures.com). Just be sure to leave the 'From Farm to Feast' adventure for tomorrow. Once you've met your new travel buds, join them for an optional group dinner or alternatively strike out on your own.

Accommodation

Hotel (1 night)

Meals Included

There are no meals included on this day.

Special Information

You can arrive at any time as there are no activities planned until tonight's important welcome meeting. Please ask the hotel reception where it will take place. If you can't arrange a flight that will arrive in time for this, consider arriving a day early so you are able to attend. If you are going to be late, please inform the hotel reception. We'll be collecting your insurance details and next of kin information at this meeting, so please ensure you have these to give to your leader.

Petty theft is common in Nairobi. As a general rule, the safest place for your valuables is on your person in a neck wallet or money belt. Your hotel room or reception may also have a safe in which to store things. If you do decide to go exploring, make sure you get local advice on where it is and isn't safe to walk – particularly for later in the day. Be careful not to leave bags unattended on chairs or the floor when you're in a bar or restaurant. Without being paranoid, appearing vigilant is a great

This morning you'll take part in a unique experience: a 'From Farm to Feast' Urban Adventure. During this tour, which explores the relationship between farming and food, you'll deliver a supply of chickens and pigs to a local community and find out how a local non-profit is helping to alleviate poverty and malnutrition in Kenya, one chick and piglet at a time. Haggle alongside locals for pigs and chickens at the street market, then sit down in a local's home for tea and coffee to learn about life in Kenya and the challenges these communities face. All of your tour costs will go to supporting nutrition efforts in local communities. In the afternoon, your leader will take you on a brief walking tour of Nairobi and the evening is then free for you to enjoy as you wish.

Accommodation

Hotel (1 night)

Included Activities

Nairobi - Farm to Feast Community Visit

Meals Included

Transfer from Nairobi to the famous Masai Mara, a journey of approximately six or seven hours. This is one of the best game reserves in all of Africa and on the way you'll stop in Loita Hills, a remote region that's home to the traditional Maasai people. Known for their jewellery and bright red dress, the Maasai are an ancient ethnic group and a local elder will give a fascinating talk full of insights into this incredible culture. You'll be shown around a traditional Maasai home and their cattle enclosures before continuing to the outskirts of the Masai Mara, where your permanent tented camp can be found.

Accommodation

Permanent Tented Camp (1 night)

Included Activities

Loita Hills - Maasai Village Visit

Meals Included

Explore the Masai Mara in 4WD safari vehicles with game drives in both the morning and the afternoon. This is the quintessential African experience and with sparse open plains, dramatic skies and some of the world's most impressive animals, one you won't soon forget. Keep your eyes peeled for wildebeest, lions, leopards, antelope and giraffes, to name but a few.

Accommodation

Permanent Tented Camp (1 night)

Included Activities

Masai Mara - Full Day 4x4 Game Drive

Optional Activities

Masai Mara National Reserve - Balloon ride (from price) - USD500

Meals Included

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Special Information

An optional balloon ride over the Mara at sunrise is well worth considering. If you have pre-booked this activity (see the 'Important Notes' section) you will be picked up before dawn and driven to the launch site for a safety briefing from your pilot. Then you will glide through the dawn, sometimes at tree height, which provides amazing photo opportunities. Sometimes you will ascend, getting an overview of the enormity of the plains and the early morning movements of the teeming herds. After landing, you'll be treated to a bush breakfast, then be returned to your campsite to meet up with your group.

Prepare for a long travel day as you head towards the border separating Kenya and Tanzania, then on to the small town of Musoma on the shores of Lake Victoria. Not only is this the largest lake in Africa, it's also the largest tropical lake in the entire world and shares its shores with Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The next three days will be spent in the wilderness, so make the most of your afternoon and evening by stocking up at the local market, grabbing cash from the town's ATM and kicking back with a beach side cold drink as the sun goes down.

Accommodation

Hotel (1 night)

Meals Included

If you're up for it, wake early this morning for a guided bike excursion around Musoma. You'll scoot around town and visit the marketplace, which is a great opportunity to interact with the local community. Travel on from Lake Victoria to Serengeti National Park (approximately three hours) and enjoy a picnic lunch at the entrance to the famous expanse. Continue to your campsite on your first Serengeti game drive, keeping an eye out for the hoofed animals and predators that call this place home. Tonight you'll have a true African safari experience, camping in an unfenced site within the national park, right in the heart of the animal action. Your leader will give you a full safety briefing once you arrive.

Accommodation

Camping (with basic facilities) (1 night)

Included Activities

Serengeti National Park - Overland Vehicle Game Drive

Optional Activities

Musoma - Guided Bike Excursion - USD20

Meals Included

Wake to another glorious day in the Serengeti. Start the day with an early morning game drive to search for animals when they're at their most active, then return to the campsite for a relaxed brunch. Spend the hottest part of the day relaxing in camp – don't stress, the animals will be doing the same – then head off again in the afternoon for another drive through the park. Return to the campsite for dinner and another night under the Serengeti's stars.

Note: there's also an option of an early hot air balloon ride here. Please ask your leader at the start of your trip if you're interested.

Accommodation

Camping (with basic facilities) (1 night)

Included Activities

Serengeti National Park - Overland Vehicle Game Drive

Optional Activities

Serengeti National Park - Balloon Ride (from price) - USD599

Meals Included

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Special Information

The balloon ride is offered as a pre-booked service which will guarantee you a place. If you would rather wait and try to get a better price by booking this locally on the ground, you are welcome to, but keep in mind that this is a popular activity and places are limited.

Enjoy a final game drive through the Serengeti as you exit the park this morning. After lunch, you'll drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation area en route to Karatu, a small town on its outskirts. Ngorongoro is a World Heritage site, the highlight of which is the Ngorongoro Crater, a gigantic volcanic caldera that you'll visit tomorrow in search of the Big Five.

Accommodation

Lodge (1 night)

Included Activities

Serengeti National Park - Overland Vehicle Game drive

Meals Included

This morning you'll descend to the Ngorongoro's crater floor for a 4WD excursion. If all goes to plan, you'll see some or maybe even all of the Big Five animals that reside here and better yet, the vehicle has an open roof so you can really feel like a part of the action. The animals here are less wary of humans and vehicles and as a result it's easier to watch them from up close. Take in the spectacular views from the rim of the crater as you make your way to the bottom, where animals roam the lakes, rivers, woodlands and hills. Keep an eye out for wildebeest, lion, zebra, cheetah, buffalo, gazelle and the endangered black rhino, as well as the colourfully dressed Maasai people who often water their cattle at the lake here. In the afternoon, you'll drive to Arusha and maybe enjoy an optional group dinner to celebrate this trip and say farewell to your new friends.

Accommodation

Hotel (1 night)

Included Activities

Ngorongoro Crater - 4x4 Game Drive

Meals Included

Your adventure comes to an end after breakfast today. A departure transfer can be booked, at an additional expense, to either Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK). Alternatively, you can continue on with our crew to finish in Nairobi. Please see 'Special Information' below for more details.

Meals Included

Breakfast

Special Information

There is also an option of continuing back to Nairobi with your crew. Any flights out of Nairobi should not be booked to depart prior to 9pm. We highly recommend you book a post nights accommodation and depart the following day. Post nights accommodation can be booked through your sales agent.

9 Days From
$3,590

Important notes

1. A single supplement is available on this trip on all nights of this trip, subject to availbility.
2. This trip includes 2 nights camping within the Serengeti National Park. Tents, sleeping mats and sleeping bags will be provided. Please bring a pillow (or travel pillow) for these 2 nights.
3. An optional sunrise balloon ride in the Serengeti National Park is possible on this itinerary. Please see Day 7 for full details of this activity. As the balloon only holds 16 people, places are limited and we recommend that you book in advance. Please inquire when booking your trip to book this optional activity.

Essential trip information

Want an in-depth insight into this trip? Essential Trip Information provides a detailed itinerary, visa info, how to get to your hotel, what's included - pretty much everything you need to know about this adventure and more.